Megan Thee Stallion to Interscope, Suno Suits Dropped - Mon, Aug 17

Megan Thee Stallion's new Interscope distribution deal and a pair of Suno lawsuit dismissals headline a busy Monday. India's music industry is also in expansion mode, with UMG and Yash Raj Films both launching new labels. Meanwhile, the Grammys' contested Asian Pop category faces a Friday deadline and a potential overhaul. Deals & M&A • Megan Thee Stallion signs Interscope distribution deal for Hot Girl Productions, retaining full masters and publishing. • UMG partners with Excel Entertainment to launch Excel Music, a new Indian film music sub-label. • Colorado's Artist Company Act takes effect, letting creatives register LLCs with a stated artistic mission — a U.S. first. Lawsuits & AI • Jamendo and The American Dollar both voluntarily dismissed their copyright infringement suits against Suno. • Ronald Isley and Rudolph's estate dismissed their Chicago trademark dispute over "The Isley Brothers" name with prejudice. • Senators Hawley and Durbin opened a bipartisan Senate probe into Roblox over child safety; records due August 31. Live & Touring • Berlin club study: ticket sales now 59% of nightclub revenue, up sharply from 21% in 2017; 39% of clubs posted losses in 2025. • Vancouver Summer Fair refund requests spike after Boy George released a controversial pro-Israel reggae track; he remains on the bill. Artists & Releases • Grammys CEO Harvey Mason Jr. signals the new Best Asian Pop category will be reworked after BTS declined to submit; deadline is August 21. International • India's Saregama now earns 60% of revenue from post-2000 catalog; live events revenue surged 214% year-over-year in Q1 FY2027. • Yash Raj Films launches Raah Records as a standalone indie label, joining Excel Music in a growing Bollywood-linked indie scene. Also Today • A viral Punjabi sample and AI TikTok trend made India the second-biggest streaming market for Haitian artist Francis Mercier. • Industry hire recap covers moves at Celestion, UnitedMasters, Merlin, Virgin, Version III, and Country Music Hall of Fame. Five minutes, six categories, zero fluff.

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Today is Monday, august seventeenth, twenty twenty six. First up, deals and MA. Megan the Stallion signed a distribution deal with Interscope Records for her Hot Girl Productions imprint. She's keeping full ownership of her masters and publishing rights and teasing a new album called Act 3. This move follows her previous distribution arrangement with Warner Music Group. Meanwhile, Universal Music Group and Indian film producer Excel Entertainment jointly launched Excel Music, a new sub-label focused on music from major Indian filmmakers beyond Excel's own productions. And in Colorado, a new Artist Company Act took effect this month. It lets creative professionals register as limited liability companies with an explicitly stated artistic mission. It's the first business structure of its kind in the United States designed specifically for artists. Next, lawsuits and AI. Two separate copyright infringement cases against the AI music platform Suno have been voluntarily dismissed. Jemendo, a music licensing platform, and the Indie Ambient Duo, the American Dollar, both filed dismissals months after suing. This comes as Suno has been working on new licensing deals and revising its policies. In other legal news, Ronald Isley and the estate of his late brother Rudolph Isley have ended their trademark dispute over the name the Isley Brothers. The case was dismissed with prejudice in Chicago federal court, leaving Ronald's 2022 trademark registration intact. And the Senate is now investigating Roblox. Senators Josh Hawley and Dick Durbin launched a bipartisan investigation into the gaming platform over child safety concerns. They've ordered CEO David Bazuki to preserve records and submit documents by August 31st. On to Live and Touring. A new study of Berlin's nightlife venues reveals a dramatic shift in how clubs make money. Researchers surveyed 102 nightclub stakeholders and found that ticket sales now account for 59% of club revenues. That's up from just 21% back in 2017. Food and beverage revenue has fallen from 60% to 20% over that same period. About 39% of the clubs surveyed reported losses last year. In other touring news, refund requests have surged at Vancouver Summer Fair after Boy George released a controversial pro-Israel reggae track. He was booked to perform months ago and remains on the schedule despite the backlash. Now artist news. CEO Harvey Mason Jr. confirmed the changes after BTS declined to submit for the 2027 ceremony. The Academy is conducting community consultations, and the Grammy submission deadline arrives this Friday, August 21st. Finally, International. India's Saragama, historically known for its vast Bollywood catalog, has transformed into a modern IP company. The label now earns 60% of its revenues from releases made after 2000 and 45% from tracks released after 2021. Live events revenues surged 214% year over year in the first quarter of this fiscal year. And another major Bollywood studio is entering the music space. Yash Raj Films launched Ra Records as a standalone independent music label, marking the second major Bollywood linked indie imprint to launch in India's music market in recent weeks. That's your music industry rundown. Have a good Monday.